By CNN Philippines Staff

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — To every Filipino, Unilab is synonymous with "trusted quality healthcare." And what led to its billing as the leading pharmaceutical brand in the country today are the same core values that inspired the company's founders to pursue quality excellence 78 years ago: husay at malasakit (excellence and care).

From its manufacturing to pharmacovigilance practices, from its leadership to rank-and-file personnel, from its corporate partners to its grassroots advocacy stakeholders, and from R&D to the point-of-sale, husay at malasakit consistently drive Unilab's pursuit for unparalleled quality since day one. At every step of the way, Filipinos observe that each member of the company is fueled by these traits, ingraining the "Alagang Unilab" experience in the hearts and minds of people.

This is why when Unilab, Inc. President Sebastian F. Baquiran was invited to share the company's best practices and its story at the 25th anniversary of the Philippine Quality Award (PQA), he highlighted how excellence and care set the firm apart from other companies that were also born in the post-war era, and even those that came before and after that trying period in Philippine history.

Unilab President Sebastian F. Baquiran underscores the value of husay at malasakit in the organization. These Filipino traits have propelled Unilab to be the leading pharmaceutical and healthcare company not just in the Philippines, but also in Southeast Asia. Photo from Unilab

Unilab owns the distinction of being the first recipient of PQA's highest-level quality seal in 2008.

The Philippine Quality Award Program is a global competitiveness template that aims to encourage and engage public and private organizations and other stakeholders to strive for and attain performance excellence. It is a national award program, comparable to the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award of the US, Europe, and Asia that recognizes the achievements of public and private sector organizations in their journey toward performance excellence. The PQA is a by-level recognition, with Level 4 being the highest and first achieved by Unilab.

Driven by its core values and purpose to work toward a healthier Philippines one quality medicine at a time, Unilab takes to heart its passion that all Filipinos have the right to quality healthcare.

Humble beginnings

Mr. Baquiran, in his address at the PQA rites, gave a glimpse of how Unilab started. He shared that malasakit was already in full display way back in 1945, right after World War II, when Unilab (formerly United Drug) was just a small drugstore in Binondo, Manila. The founders, Jose Y. Campos and Mariano K. Tan, were looking to make a difference in the post-war era.

"While the nation was in the midst of rebuilding itself after massive destruction, supplies were scarce, even down to the necessities like basic medicines. Our founders saw this as an opportunity to help fill the gap in healthcare. Simply put, they wanted to provide quality yet affordable medicines to those in need, even if it meant moving mountains to do so," Mr. Baquiran said.

During those times, the two entrepreneurs would go the extra mile for customers, even going around town using Mr. Campos' bicycle just to get the stocks needed.

"This is malasakit at its core. Going beyond what is required of you, making people feel they matter because they do," Baquiran added.

The company has been practicing the culture of husay, malasakit, and bayanihan to go above and beyond one's call of duty to be able to provide unparalleled customer service.

Thus, over the years, Unilab has become a consistent leader in healthcare not just in the Philippines, but throughout Southeast Asia.

Best practices

As the leading pharmaceutical company in the country, Unilab strictly adheres to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), a system that ensures products comply with or even exceed the rigid quality standards and controls. Photo from Unilab

The Unilab President also shared the company’s best practices on seven fronts that allowed them to achieve the PQA seal in 2008, and how excellence and care drive Unilab's pursuit for unparalleled customer service.

1. Leadership

Their leadership is linked to their values, being caring and results-oriented. Emphasizing their strength in providing customers with what they need, they coined the now-household phrase "Alagang Unilab." The company is always growing and transforming itself to deliver quality healthcare.

"Our Group President and CEO, Mr. Clinton Campos Hess, is the visionary who initiated a culture of transformation, allowing us to identify our cultural strengths and hone them to our advantage," Baquiran said.

2. Strategy

Baquiran also said Unilab strives to reach more people even outside the country, which is why the company expanded to other parts of Southeast Asia in pursuit of its commitment to its strategies.

Unilab also made another strategic move a few years ago to restructure the organization, expanding into five separate core businesses that would better serve a diverse set of customers: branded pharma, generics, personal care, hospitals and clinics, and even animal health.

3. Customer Focus

Baquiran reiterated that Unilab’s priority and focus is really the customer, who is at the heart of the company’s consistent excellence.

"We are relentless in pursuing excellence in insighting, as well as in developing our foresighting capabilities. We believe that to serve customers better, it is not enough to understand their motivations or behaviors today, but it is of greater importance to understand future needs to proactively develop relevant healthcare solutions. At Unilab, we continue to push ourselves to evolve alongside the needs of our customers and of the market," he added.

4. Measurement, Analysis, and Knowledge Management

Unilab uses advanced marketing technologies and engages with the right partners, gathers and organizes customer data, looks beyond demographics, and deepens its understanding of customer interests, motivations, desires, and needs.

"Having richer data about our customers gives us an advantage in terms of our engagements and ways of making people experience Alagang Unilab, developing tailor-fit offerings customized to meet their needs," Baquiran said.

5. Operations

Unilab also makes sure that its operations are implemented with a quality management system that aligns with global standards on safety and efficacy.

"Our role in health is critical, which is why we recognize that it is vital not just to do things right, but also to ensure continuity of our operations, so we can cater to our customers' needs," Baquiran said.

6. Workforce

Unilab also takes pride that its workforce demonstrates unwavering commitment and excellence in the face of extraordinary challenges, and they ensure the continuity of operations for customers.

To show its genuine appreciation, Unilab provides quality care to its employees. Beyond benefits, the company fosters a culture of meritocracy and fairness so it can offer opportunities for personal growth and professional development to the employees.

7. Business Results

"With all these efforts, we have been able to achieve our targets and grow our business despite the challenges and volatility of the market, reasserting once more our position as the premier healthcare provider in the Philippines," Baquiran said.

He added that the results that Unilab has today are not based on its efforts alone but also on the combined efforts of all its partners. He reiterated that the spirit of bayanihan is very much alive in their organization.

Eight decades of quality and excellence

Unilab’s Trusted Quality Healthcare tag line is evident in the leadership of its brands, which have been part of the Filipino families from generation to generation. Photo from Unilab

In its almost eight decades of existence, the locally bred pharma company has been pursuing excellence in its field through three important learning points:

1. Our why gives meaning to what we do

Unilab's purpose is to build a healthier Philippines, one quality medicine at a time. This purpose pervades the entire organization, starting with each individual, regardless of role.

For instance, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Unilab asked some of its frontliners what inspired them to keep showing up despite the risks. One of the manufacturing operators, Jerome Dacula, said: "Hindi ko naisip na um-absent dahil sa mga taong nangangailangan ng mga produkto natin. Lalo na ngayon, mas inaasahan nila tayo. Alang-alang sa kanila, pumapasok ako at ginagawa ko ang trabaho ko.”

[Translation: I never thought of being absent because of the people who need our products, especially now that they rely on us. I show up to work every day because of them.]

This, Baquiran noted, demonstrates anew an important mindset of the company and its people: "Jerome himself knows our 'why'. He himself takes malasakit to heart. It is a privilege to be working alongside Jerome and thousands of others toward building a nation of healthier Filipinos."

2. Delighting the customer is at the root of our quality practices

At Unilab, the customer is at the heart of everything that it does, and this means going above and beyond to give them what they need. To do so, the company's leadership ensures that their insighting and foresighting capabilities are excellent to be able to keep pace with their needs. They make sure that their quality practices are consistent and continuous.

3. Constant reinvention is a given

As the health landscape is ever-changing and customers are evolving, Unilab ensures that it is evolving alongside these changes.

Baquiran said that Unilab has to keep reinventing to be able to keep up.

"This process of reinvention is deeply rooted in our cultural transformation. Our culture of caring, results-orientation, and learning drive the reinvention of processes, exploration of new technologies, and innovation on new offerings," he added.

Going above and beyond the call of duty

Through the years, Unilab has worked with the government in providing accessible healthcare to the Filipinos. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, Unilab supported the government in setting up RT-PCR laboratories across the country. Photo from Unilab

Unilab employees have been reaching out to communities at the height of the pandemic to ensure that quality healthcare is still accessible during challenging times. They are frontliners who showed up despite the risks.

"Our readiness was tested during these past few years, from the Taal Volcano eruption to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet despite the many challenges, we were still able to deliver on our promise without compromising the quality of our service," Baquiran said.

The core values and the efforts to go above and beyond to serve the Filipino people are what got them to where they are today.

Yet again, Baquiran emphasized the combined efforts of their partners and stakeholders in the company's success, including those in the private sector, the regulators, certifying bodies, and the likes of PQA.

"Thank you to the PQA for setting the standards in the business sector and for encouraging the participation of regional players such as the SMEs which provides the foundation for excellence, impeccable service delivery, and commitment among employees," he said.

"We have been blessed with strong partnerships in our pursuit of serving the Filipino, and we look forward to further strengthening these with both the government and private sector," he added.